Card index



Patented Aue. 4, 1925.

UNITED stares' VROBERT c. RUSSELL, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

"I CARD INDEX.v

Application lieV Qctober 29, 1924'. Serial No. 746,634.

ToeZZ whom #may concern.' l

Be it known `thatl I, ROBERT C. RUssnLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny7 and .State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card Indexes; and I do hereby declare the following" to be a full, clear, Vand exact/,Idescription of the invention, such as will enf-' able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and vuse the same. Y

This invention relates to improvements in indexes and more particularly to those ofthe visible type,-one object of the present in- 5 vention being to so vconstruct the cards or index elements that they may be mounted in vthe holder or slide in such manner that they may be supported, one by another, inuni-V formly spaced relation to each other with the index dataon said card or index element exposed to view; to so construct and arrange the index elementsthat they maybe moved or removed but so that'they will be .held normally in placeand so that the index elements may be readily assembled without danger of annoying conflict with each other during the act of assembling. Y

A further object is to so construct and arrange the index elements that they will be ce vproperly guided to intermeshing relation with each other,and so that'lateraldisplace ment of the index elements relatively to each other shall be prevented.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consistsin certain novel features as hereinafter set. forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,"

Figure 1 is a face view illustrating a card el index embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a rearview in perspective of one of the cards or index elements.

Figure 3 is a. similar view showing a plu rality of index elements.

Figure 4 is a rear face view showing a pluleaf and comprises abase member 2 having flanges'at itsrespective ends forming shoulders 3 3 andl also having flanges tat its longitudinal edge portions,-said. flanges 4L overlying ,and spaced slightly from the base portion 2 ofthe holder so as to yprovide gnideways 5 for the end portions ofthe index cards or 'elements 6. j

" Each index card or element 6 (which may b e made ofv card or other suitable material) is notched. as at 7 and the material bent rearwardly and upwardlyto formV tongues 8 at respective ends of the index element,-the ypoints of juncture'of these tongues with the bodyportion of the element being preferablyvv curved slightly as indicated at 9. The

tongues 8'. have a tendency to spring away from the rear face of the card or element so that when the end portions of the latter are disposed on the guide-ways l5 of the holder y1, they will so` engage the bottomsof VVsaid guide-ways as to causev the index element to' be.- frictionally held' against displacement'. In cutting thev spring tongues 8 from the material of the card, their-inner portions are beveled and tapering, laterally projecting tongues 10 will be provided. These tongues 10 terminate inwardly from the ends of the card and the points of juncture between the inner ends of the tongues 8 andl 10 will be slightly curved as indicated at 11. The Vmaterial of the card extends downwardly below thetongues 10 as indicated at 12 and the respectiveends of this portion 12 are beveled 1 or inclined as shown vat 13. In order to facilitate the ready assembling of the cards or elements within the holder 1, they will preferab-ly be beveled at their respective ends as indicated at 14 or they may be rounded as shown at 15, Figure 6.

In assembling the cards orv index elements, thelaterally projecting tongues 10 (which willV l preferably be rounded or beveled at their free ends) on one card or element will become seated in the pockets formed by the upturned spring tongues 8 and the depend.- ing portion 12 of one card will become dis'- posed between the inner ends of the ton ues 8 of an adjacent card. The beveling o respective ends of the portion 12 will facili- Vtate theV guiding of one card. into intermeshing relation with an adjacent card and the `rshoulders* 18 will provide stops or abutments at the outer ends tol engage the inner ,ends of tongues, $5 en; .Sach 'adjacent cards and thus lateral displacement of one card with relation to another will be prevented. It desired however, the portion 12 of the card may be omitted, as illustrated in Figure 6.

T`Vith my improvements, the definite and uniform spacing of the cards with relation to each other so that the exposed portions of the cards on which the index data is in- J scribed will be uniform throughout the series of cards. Thile the cards or index elements will be held normally in proper positions and relatio-ns to each other, any card or element may be readily removed and easily replaced by a new card or element.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

Vl. In a card index, an index element provided with a plurality of rearwardly and upwardly projecting members forming pockets and with tongues below such pock ets to enter the pockets in a like element.

2. In a card index, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of index elements removably mounted in said holter, each of said index elements having upwardly projecting members forming pockets adjacent its rear face and each of said index elements having tongues adjacent to and under said pockets and adapted to enter the pockets of an adjacent index element, whereby each index element will be supported by another with the exposed portions of all the index elements of uniform dimensions.

3. A visible index, comprising a holder having parallel guide-ways at its edge portions and a plurality of index elements each having upturned tongues at its ends to ent-er said guide-ways with the end portions `Vof the element and frictionally hold the element in place and each index element also having tongues below said upturned tongues and adapted to be supported in pockets formed vby the upturned tongues of another index element.

4L. In a visible index, the combination with a holder having parallel guide-ways, of a plurality of index elements adapted at their ends to enter said guide-ways, each index element having pockets beyond respective sides of its center and also having tongues to enter pockets of an adjacent element and each index element having a depending portion forming beveled shoulders at the inner ends of said tongues and adapted to enter between the inner ends of the pockets of an adjacent index element.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the scribing witnesses.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL.

presence of two sub- Vitnesses JAMES S. ATKINSON, EMMA M. VVALLISCH. 

